Responding To Your Comments About Being A Teacher And Why I Don't Suggest It

[@starr234]

Thank you for speaking up for teachers. We are one of the most bashed and misunderstood professions.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

It's hard to understand unless you've done it.

[@KellieHolmes]

I’m a teacher in Australia and it’s much the same story here. Disrespectful, disengaged kids, pressure and no support from admin and parents. I’m very close to resigning and being a relief teacher. Good on you for being brave enough and honest enough to realize you’ve had enough. Take care.

[@RyanSharrar]

A lot of these comments feel like they're agreeing with you and then blaming you for the problem instead of realizing that the system is broken. I wouldnt take these people's thoughts seriously at all.

[@Kroh13]

That’s people for you !

[@ms.nfrmed]

Society has no idea what we do. It is very nice to hear your thoughts.

[@TheBookOfLaToya]

I wanted to be a math teacher but my grandpa warned that although it was an honorable career the pay was not worth the hassle. I went with Accounting instead and so glad I did.

[@Kroh13]

Well maybe you could sign up to Tudor ! Parents who homeschool are always looking for extra help. A side hustle

[@apokalupsishistoria]

We need to get iPads and video games out of kids hands - but then we need to change culture to allow parents proper time to engage with them, instead of the Sisyphean effort of economic reality. We all need long hard conversations about our culture.

[@anneflammini8438]

Everything you are saying is right on target. I'm a 27 year veteran. The profession has become soul crushing.

[@Kroh13]

I home school and I have nothing but love for all the teachers I know ! It’s crazy hard to teach 28 plus kids ! I only teach 2 ! People really have no idea the work that teachers put in ! It’s also a thankless job . People expect teachers to work for free and love it .. it’s madness

[@SashaPlata]

There is a reason I cannot handle being a teacher. I’m comfortable as a substitute, even then, I have my challenging days. As the years pass, there are fewer incentives to becoming a teacher. I said no. Every district I have ever worked for is enduring a shortage of teachers. The problem isn’t with us. It’s with the higher ups that make it more difficult. It’s also with parents.

[@heycarrieann]

Sir! You do NOT owe anyone any explanations for your life choices! The ONLY thing that is important in YOUR life is that YOU are happy. I am also a teacher. I am HOPING to retire this year. Definitely earlier than I would have expected. But for all the same reasons you are leaving, I am leaving. It has taken a HUGE toll on my physical and mental health and it is time for the next chapter of my life. I am entitled to that, and I deserve that. And so do you. The ONLY person who can determine what is right for you, is you. People are so quick to judge and spew hate and judgy opinions without having walked a mile in YOUR shoes. Maybe that Marine should go teach for a year. Maybe the people saying you should have known better before committing to becoming an educator should go be educators and realize how much worse the system is than they realize and the effects it has on a person to try to keep up with a broken system. Maybe those who are saying you shouldn't work outside of your contract hours should ask themselves, "Hmm.....what if my surgeon didn't put in all that extra work? What if they weren't consistently maintaining their knowledge base in their field? What if the surgery was not completed in the time allotted because of complications? What if my surgeon did not have to adjust to each person's individual meeds?" We have a vitally important job. And we take it seriously. If we only work to contract. guess who suffers? The kids. That would make us bad people. So we either sacrifice our own well-being, or that of our students. Unless we leave. At the end of the day, leaving is the right thing to do. Both for us, and for the kids. The way I see it, if someone else can do a better job than I, then I should make room for them to do it and serve the students better. And if they can't do it any better, then that just proves that I (or you, or any other teacher) am not the problem. But we already knew that. I have put in my time. I did the best I could. Even the best teachers can't make everyone happy and take a ton of abuse from admin, parents, students, and even other teachers. The goal posts are constantly moving. With every new principal, with every new chairperson, with every new superintendent, everything changes. I suppose that could happen with any job. But most jobs don't have NEARLY the turnover we do. And why is that? Why is there SO MIUCH turnover in education? Hmmm.....why could that be? I love my students, but this job is untenable anymore. And I personally won't be sacrificing myself for it. There is a teacher shortage for a reason. And it will only get worse, and worse. And finally, they system WILL collapse. Sadly, it's the students who will suffer (and lets face it, ultimately society). But there is literally nothing teachers can do about that. We don't have to be society's punching bags. At some point, like every other person, we have to put the oxygen on our own faces and make the best of what is left of our lives. Maybe then people will start to appreciate the role that we occupied and the huge burden we shouldered for years and years. (They won't.). Hopefully, the next chapter can restore some of our health and well-being. I very much wish that for you.

[@juelettefadness7344]

I love your thoughtfulness. It takes an enormous amount of strength and courage to step back from your life and re-imagine your future. I 'm looking forward to more of your posts.

[@cdheidt]

I’m a teacher (year 4), and I have never lied to my students. Every day it’s a struggle to overcome- it’s a tough profession, and it takes a big heart to keep doing it.

[@M0VIE]

You are very well spoken and thoughtful in your responses. I do worry that you are taking uninformed, mean, attention seeking comments a bit too seriously, especially the "generation raised by mothers" comment. A lot of people just want attention or are just ignorant in their beliefs and sometimes its better to leave those comments be.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

That's a great observation and probably true. I'm new to this whole youtube thing, but I also want to make sure comments like that don't go unaddressed. Thanks for giving me some perspective!

[@M0VIE]

@TheMidlifeDropout keep going on your journey. I find your stories very engaging and relatable, especially when it comes to teaching

[@quaidrowan]

I would LOVE to see Mr. "toughen up" deal with high school kids for one solid week. He would be crying like a little piss baby halfway through the first day.

[@tylerbhumphries]

I have to roll my eyes at anyone who says something like “A generation raised my mothers” because even though I’m aware that there is often times a difference (speaking generally) between behavioral issues exhibited by kids who were raised in single parent households versus two parents household, I can’t help but roll my eyes at where the blame is being laid. I need people to start saying the quiet parts out loud so they can hear how ridiculous they sound to the rest of us. “A generation raised by mothers because the fathers walked away.” How are we blaming the problem on the parent that stayed? Why do we feel comfortable as a society blaming single mothers but not acknowledging the damage fathers caused by walking away? I’m the product of a two parent household and I didn’t really notice the difference until I was older and talking to my peers that did grow up in single parent situations. Some of them turned out fine but others experienced and did a lot of things that they would not have if they had two parents in the household bringing in two incomes and being able to give them the attention and help they needed and deserved. Having two active parents helped me succeed in ways I can’t even name. But even if my parents had split I know my dad would have still been an active parent. Parenting doesn’t stop once a relationship ends. We need to put the blame where the blame belongs.

[@diutrinh1240]

As for the last question: “Sometimes, you just need to take a risk in life to make it better. Life has always been unpredictable. It’s life.”

[@decis-bp6lj]

Appreciate your insight in this clip on teaching. Everything you said about the profession is spot on.

[@michipoo]

Nice responses. I do want to say it's possible some of the comments are just trolling.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Thanks for letting me know! I'll try to keep that in my mind moving forward.

[@akin1989]

Very well presented. Very eloquently answered

[@Lenneeful]

Two of these comments touch on some truth. During my first couple of years as a teacher, I worked many more hours than I was paid for. This is somewhat normal in the field because you have to create your teaching tools and learn how to be organized. But after that, let's say around the five-year mark, a teacher should be able to avoid working extra hours. I managed to do it, but it meant that some tasks weren’t getting done, and I had to be able to accept that. The second comment concerns the changing family structure, with kids now often being raised by women. The issue is not the presence of women, but the absence of fathers. I challenge anyone in the school system to calculate the percentage of children with severe behavioral challenges who have an absent parent due to divorce, prison, addiction, etc. I am sure it's at least 80%, but nobody dares to talk about it.

[@txspacemom765]

I'll talk about it! I 100% agree with this statement. I can teach ANY subject, to any age group. I cannot teach basic skills, behaviors and needs, that should have been learned at home. I spent 70% of my class time filling out paperwork on kids and just getting kids to act right. Non educators have no clue.

[@zinknot]

Exactly! It's a huge issue. So much statistics showing the benefits of having a father and a mother. But many of the behavior issues are particularly linked to the absence of a father.

[@violette4841]

In the US, even when a dad is in the home, it is mom raising the kids. He is busy elsewhere and with other things than being like the father of old.

[@trtlduv07]

Wow those comments are so off base. They clearly have no idea what you teachers face!

[@twiedenfeld]

Imagine a private talking back to a drill sergeant and the captain siding with the private.

[@Perfect1583]

The people that say stuff like these comments are LOWBALL humans. (Don't let trolls pull you beneath the bridge you're trying to cross) ❤

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Thank you!

[@violette4841]

My sons disliked their middle and high school teachers and just about slept in all their classes. No acting out or overt disrespect ever. Why go to school? They liked their friends there. They achieved zip in school, and they entered 1st grade reading. I didn't teach them either. They achieved once they left school and to everyone's surprise, they are ambitious. I know that students, teachers, parents and principals can lie. I know there is bullying and backbiting amongst the teachers and towards some of the students and parents. I know there are gangster parents. I know that there are all kinds of problems and troubles in school, but one son entered the Navy and has to work with every kind of American there is. I guess schools helped him there. He is an officer in the Navy. The other met his wife in high school at his part-time job and she became his motivator to go to college. She has 3 degrees and paid for them as she worked her way though. He had to work his way through like she did. Neither boy had any school debt. I went to a girls' school elsewhere and had 'old school' teachers and I needed the protection and rules which give me safety. I would not teach today. It is not worth it and it can be dangerous. And I'd rather read a book than watch PowerPoint and KZbin in class all day. I guess I like old school.

[@Spice1_]

Thank tou

[@JakeC-xx8zq]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I have to disagree about the 'generation raised by mothers' comment. I think you might be misinterpreting the comment as an insult to mothers and their ability to parent. I see how it can be read that way, but I don't think that was the intent. I interpreted it as a criticism of the situation itself, that of single parent households. If anything, I think the blame for that might go to the fathers just as much as it goes to mothers. Regardless, when a divorce/breakup happens, it's almost always the case that the mother gets custody, if not sole custody. The reason for that is multilayered and needs a different conversation, but that is the end result. The impact of this, especially on men, is immense. Fathers are the authority figure in the home. They enforce rules, teach discipline, and show you what a mature man should act like in society. Sounds a lot like what lacking in the schools now.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Hey Jake - that's a great perspective that I didn't think about prior to posting. Thanks for helping me consider that in a different manner!

[@diutrinh1240]

The problem with people today, go for all all genders but especially men-you will know why below: Is that people are no longer know how to co-exist with one another. They’re lack empathy, and compassion, and the ability to compromise and adapt, which is why they cannot coexist.

[@zinknot]

Yes, I can see how it's easily misinterpreted, but it's actually one of the key issues behind a lot of the behavioral issues he was describing.

[@kadarius]

Hey Steve! Next time, do you mind reading the comments aloud when you display them? I like to listen instead of watch and it was a little hard to follow.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Hi Kadarius! I didn't even think about that. I'll make sure to next time if I do it again!

[@zinknot]

​@@TheMidlifeDropoutor at least leave the text up longer. I kept having to open my phone and go back to find the question.

[@spydrmnd]

It's awfully big of you to reply to those comments.

[@Linknla]

Those comments are proof that SEL education is necessary.

[@lisalasers]

I’m a 55 year old woman with higher level degrees who eould love to step into high school teaching but I can’t because if degree requirements and I couldn’t pay my mortgage.

[@zinknot]

I'm not a teacher, but have been interested in it and thinking a lot about how it could change for the better. I think the good teachers need to be paid more and given plenty of support. And most teachers who aren't really passionate or engaging, should just be teacher support and aids. Because in my experience that's the majority of teachers. Maybe 1 in 5 are passionate and engaging.

[@KathrynTanner-t8f]

Change for the better? I started teaching in 1990 and it was a hard job with all the points except not as much of the disrespect thing. I retired in 2011. NOTHING got better. Just worse and worse. Toward the end, my students (high school) told me they would never go into teaching because they saw what I went through. The "you have to try better; you have to try something different" mantra is unrealistic. We were constantly trying harder and constantly trying to find a better way to help students. Worse and worse. You cannot imagine what it's like UNLESS you have taught in a public school, and mainstream classes, not the super smart, motivated kids, or the special needs kids when you have a handful of kids instead of 100+ every day. You just can't get it.

[@StormyRiot]

Just wanted to leave a comment in general support of your response to the mother’s comment. The idea that all children would be better off just because of their father being in their life is just incorrect. Everyone could benefit from having father-figures or good male role models (most of mine were my teachers actually!) but to put this on being raised primarily by a mother? Again, I generally agree with your response.

[@zinknot]

What do you mean it's just incorrect? Is it just a coincidence that fatherless children are way less successful and more likely to end up in prison? It's statistically undeniable that having a father is a huge advantage to children.

[@shaker1024]

How long have you been a teacher?

[@shaker1024]

Excuse me, please, but do you have own family and children?